Published: Thursday, December 12, 2013 at 6:09 p.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, December 12, 2013 at 6:13 p.m.

Among her family and co-workers, Theresa Crowder is known as a prankster. This reputation presented an interesting problem for her Thursday morning.

About 10:40 a.m., she was surprised at her job as a bookkeeper with Etowah County Schools, with a $25,000 check from Publishers Clearing House.

After receiving her oversized check, an event that drew nearly all the building’s employees, she said the first person she would call to spread the good news would be her husband — and she wasn’t sure he would believe her.

“He’s probably going to say, ‘Theresa, quit joking and I’ll see you later,’’ Crowder said. “That will be his reaction.”

She was true to her word and his reaction wasn’t quite what she expected. Her husband’s first words were “Praise God!” and then the expected disbelief kicked in. He was speechless, then said he would verify it. Crowder said he didn’t truly believe it until he spoke to Prize Patrol Executive Director David Sayer, who confirmed the good news.

Crowder, who lives in East Gadsden, said her husband wouldn’t be the only one who needed convincing. She said she has been entering the contest for the last 20 years, and one of her many pranks involved her calling a friend and telling them that she had won the Publishers Clearing House prize. With the advent of Facebook, she doesn’t think she will have trouble convincing them this time.

Crowder said she had a dream about a week ago that she had won the lottery, and her friends and coworkers gave her grief about it, telling her she had to play to win.

Now that she has won, she said it will be a wonderful Christmas for her and her family of two sons and four grandchildren.

In addition to the holidays, the prize money will go a long toward the investment their family made in one of their son’s future.

“Our son graduates from the University of Alabama in May,” Crowder said. “This is going to help a whole lot.”

Many of her coworkers, including her boss, Superintendent Alan Cosby, said the prize money couldn’t have gone to a better person. They also were amazed that when Crowder was awarded the prize money, it was not staged, but a true surprise.

Crowder was speechless as she received the oversized check, and said she wished she had some kind of warning before she got the prize money. Sayer apologized, but reminded her that she knows the deal with Publishers Clearing House.

“You’ve seen this on television,” Sayer said. “We never give any warning.”

<p>Among her family and co-workers, Theresa Crowder is known as a prankster. This reputation presented an interesting problem for her Thursday morning.</p><p>About 10:40 a.m., she was surprised at her job as a bookkeeper with Etowah County Schools, with a $25,000 check from Publishers Clearing House.</p><p>After receiving her oversized check, an event that drew nearly all the building's employees, she said the first person she would call to spread the good news would be her husband — and she wasn't sure he would believe her.</p><p>“He's probably going to say, 'Theresa, quit joking and I'll see you later,'' Crowder said. “That will be his reaction.”</p><p>She was true to her word and his reaction wasn't quite what she expected. Her husband's first words were “Praise God!” and then the expected disbelief kicked in. He was speechless, then said he would verify it. Crowder said he didn't truly believe it until he spoke to Prize Patrol Executive Director David Sayer, who confirmed the good news.</p><p>Crowder, who lives in East Gadsden, said her husband wouldn't be the only one who needed convincing. She said she has been entering the contest for the last 20 years, and one of her many pranks involved her calling a friend and telling them that she had won the Publishers Clearing House prize. With the advent of Facebook, she doesn't think she will have trouble convincing them this time.</p><p>Crowder said she had a dream about a week ago that she had won the lottery, and her friends and coworkers gave her grief about it, telling her she had to play to win.</p><p>Now that she has won, she said it will be a wonderful Christmas for her and her family of two sons and four grandchildren. </p><p>In addition to the holidays, the prize money will go a long toward the investment their family made in one of their son's future.</p><p>“Our son graduates from the University of Alabama in May,” Crowder said. “This is going to help a whole lot.”</p><p>Many of her coworkers, including her boss, Superintendent Alan Cosby, said the prize money couldn't have gone to a better person. They also were amazed that when Crowder was awarded the prize money, it was not staged, but a true surprise.</p><p>Crowder was speechless as she received the oversized check, and said she wished she had some kind of warning before she got the prize money. Sayer apologized, but reminded her that she knows the deal with Publishers Clearing House.</p><p>“You've seen this on television,” Sayer said. “We never give any warning.”</p>